Never Done

I knew I wanted to write a back-to-school post, but as I started gathering my thoughts, I realized I wanted to write a letter to my colleagues more than blogging about the 2023-2024 school year. So, let’s see how it turns out:

Dear ones,
The “Ana” you know, the one from June 2022, would have written these words the night before returning to work. I actually sat down two weeks ago, intending to do so, but three minutes later, Elena woke up early from her nap, and this draft was put on hold. Then came Tuesday night, the night before the first day of school for students, and again I tried to stay awake long enough to write, but tiredness won—I still try to live by the whole “Sleep when the baby sleeps” suggestion.

So here we are. It’s been two days back in our classrooms, learning who our new students are and taking mental notes of everything we discover about them each minute that goes by. Over the past two days, many of you have asked how things are going, and my response has been a gentle nod and a “pretty good!” affirmation. Yes, I’ve done “first day of school” many times, and it’s also true that no matter how many years we do this, there’s always the emotional load of not feeling 100% ready. And, are we ever? I know I’ll be looking at the August undone tasks in my notebook late in May. Like our young writers, we truly are NEVER done.

I have a new view on things this year, a mindset I always knew was healthier but was never forced to embrace until now. In a box, I packed working weekends, early morning preps, and after-school meetings alongside my tight pants and dresses that don’t fit right now. It’s a box for “maybe later” because I know my baby will grow, and when that happens, parents sort of gain some time back. But I wonder if I’ll go back to that obsessive form of professionalism once Elena is older. I always preach Brene Brown, but I don’t do enough to stick to her idea that “courage is saying yes to rest and play.”

I am never done. I love my job way too much to entertain the idea of “done,” and that thought drives me. It keeps me up at night with flashy ideas and never-ending mental notes about new things I could do. “I am never done” is also to blame for the overwhelming feeling we struggle with and dangerously ignore. I know you all feel it because you are amazing educators, and only the great ones feel like they never do enough.

The “I am never done” thought is what made me finally sit here and write this letter. Instead of allowing myself to be haunted by the things that aren’t completed, I want to savor the inspiration and creativity that comes from bending and adjusting. I will still be the neurotic Ana you’ve come to know, the one that will offer late-night Zoom calls for coaching just because she can’t get enough of your passion. But I will also learn to be the Ana who leans into the whole idea of “less is more” and gets used to the idea of projecting instead of planning. Thanks to you, I feel safe making this shift.

And before wishing you a fantastic school year, I’ll gift you the few things that didn’t go in the “see you later box.” Practices that, no matter who I become, I will continue to hold on to because they keep me sane:

• Wine (just kidding… well, not really… maybe just a Happy Hour here and there)
• A ToDo list with two columns: one for things that should get done and one for only 5 priorities (Brene would say if there’s more than one, they’re not priorities.)
• “Schedule-send” for emails past 5PM (boundaries matter)
• Flexibility, yes! But accountability, too. Make those pacing guides.
• Reach out, find your buddy, ask for help, ask ALL the questions.

Ahora si. Have a fantastic year! I know I will ❤️